The San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies meet on Sunday in a rematch of last year’s first-round series. Of course that is the series where the then one-seed Spurs lost to the then eighth-seeded Grizzlies. While that was only the fourth time in NBA history that such an upset had occurred; the series would set the tone for all future matches between these two teams.
The Spurs are heading into this series after disposing of the Los Angeles Lakers in a quick four game series and then dispatched the Golden State Warriors in five games. While they looked like a well-oiled playoff machine in the Laker series, it was the Warriors who presented a much bigger challenge.
The offensively gifted backcourt players from the Warriors gave the Spurs defense fits as they spread the perimeter defense and capitalized on knocking down those long-range jump shots. The Spurs made the necessary adjustments as the series wore on and after the first two games the Spurs were once again able to impose their defensive will on the Warriors.
The big-three for the Spurs continue to be the major statistical contributors as Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan remain the driving force behind the Spurs success. Proving that age is nothing but a number, this trio of NBA veterans continue to charge toward yet another Championship.
The Memphis Grizzlies seemingly had a tougher road to the Conference Finals as their first-round matchup saw them play the Los Angeles Clippers. After dropping their first two games on the road, the Grizzlies stormed back to win four straight and move on to the Conference semi-finals.
The next round brought the defending Western Conference Champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Grizzlies promptly lost game one and then followed that loss with yet another four-game win streak that eventually closed out the series and the Thunder’s season.
The Grizzlies counter the Spurs trio of stars with their own trio of top-performers. Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph lead the charge into San Antonio. Similarly to the Spurs trio, this threesome account for the majority of the Grizzlies offensive output and each one will be called upon to contribute for the Grizzlies to advance.
As these two teams prepare to do battle on the court, we sit-back and take a look at some keys to success and ultimately pick a winner to move on to the NBA Finals.
The single biggest difference maker in this series will be defense. It is a classic matchup of the chess-master Gregg Popovich and his intuitive defensive structure versus the all-out bulldog pressing style that is Lionel Hollins. The Grizzlies do have the defensive player of the year in Gasol as well as the tenacious All Defensive 1st-Teamer in Tony Allen. Throw into the mix the lengthy Tayshaun Prince and it is easy to see how the Grizzlies had the best team defense in the Association.
The Spurs play pretty solid defense as well as they rely more so on defensive reads and strategy that forces the opposition into poor shots and keeps the ball out of key-players hands. Popovich preaches the team-defense approach and everyone buys into this, which covers for the fact that they lack a true shutdown perimeter defender. Defensively I give the edge to the Grizzlies.
Offensively the Spurs have the edge as they present a more balanced attack and they have more players who will contribute in the regular rotation. Popovich routinely plays four or five deep into his bench while Hollins might get go down a couple on his depth chart. This roster flexibility allows for Duncan, Parker and Ginobili to rest and it permits for a hot-handed player to contribute over and above one’s normal minutes. Offensively I give the edge to the Spurs.
There is no question that the Spurs will have revenge on their minds when this series tips off. They will want nothing more than to knock the Grizzlies out of the playoffs and at the same time secure that berth in the Championship game. Unfortunately for the Spurs, I do believe that their time here has past and that the Grizzlies time to rise to the top has come. This will be a very tough series, one that I predict will go six or seven games. I do think that the Grizzlies will come out on top and that they will claim the Western Conference title and have their chance to play for an NBA Title.